Recognized by
its striped face and ringed tail,
the racoon has invaded almost every
habitat and is commonly found even
in towns and cities. The racoon is
curious, clever, and solitary and
deceptively cuddly-looking. It owes
its success to its ability to live
in a wide variety of habitats and
survive on a flexible diet.

HABITS

The racoon
leads a largely solitary life.
It is temperamental and will
often fight with its own family
members as well as with others
racoons. Although most racoons
live in the wild, close contact
with humans does not bother
them. They often nest in empty
buildings, garages, sheds, and
even the attics of houses. Since
racoons are nocturnal animals,
they are most active at night.
Racoons do not hibernate in the
winter, but those that live
further north, where it is
colder, grow thick coats to keep
them warm and spend long periods
sleeping.

BREEDING

While the male
racoon mates with different females,
the female will mate with only one
male, avoiding all others that
season. Mating usually takes place
in the winter months, but may
continue until June. About 9 weeks
after mating, the young are born in
a nest of leaves made by the female
in a hollow tree or log. They are
blind for their first 3 weeks, but
grow quickly. The female cares for
them exclusively, teaching them to
hunt and to climb trees. With such
predators as bobcats and cougars,
this is a dangerous time for the
young kits. Although some families
break up in the fall, the young
normally stay with their mother
through the first winter, after
which they gradually leave. The
young females begin to breed when
they are a year old; males generally
begin at the age of two.

FOOD & HUNTING

The
racoon normally feeds along waterways and
lakes. It hunts as it swims; looking for fish,
crayfish, frogs, turtles, and turtle eggs. The
racoon will catch mice and muskrats along the
banks of streams and rivers and will also
search the woodlands for insects, nuts,
fruits, young birds and bird eggs. In some
areas, the racoon is considered a pest. It
raids poultry and wildfowl breeding sites and
it eats corn and other crops. In more
populated areas, a racoon will frequently
knock over trash cans while scavenging for
food, using its hands as well as monkeys do.

Racoons have
long been hunted and trapped for
their fur. In the United States,
"coonskins" were once so prized
that they were used as currency.
They have also been killed because
of the damage they do to crops and
poultry, their overall number has
not declined. Because of its fur,
the racoon has been introduced
into other countries, notably
Europe and Russia.

Head and body: 18-30
in. Tail: 8-13 in. Weight: Up to 46 lb.

Related to
pandas and coatimundis

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